Playing in the Darkness
by Pigletkate
Summary: I had a brother. I had a brother the day before my eighth birthday; I haven't had a brother since then, I'm now fourteen. I'm a Viking, an occupational hazard, so dying in the way my brother did was the highest honour a Viking could think of, but that doesn't make the pain of losing him any less sufferable, because now I have to live his life in place of him. I'm a failure...
1. Chapter 1

**This story is also available on watt pad people**

 **Disclaimer I don't own How to Train Your Dragon or any images.**

For two different species, that were once mortal enemies, to be able to live in harmony with each other and become reliant on each other sounds an impossible task, but I did it. Truthfully it wasn't easy at all, I mean who would have thought Vikings on the backs of dragons? Five months ago my farther would have tied you to a mast and shipped you off for fear of you being mad for saying such impossible things.

This is why I Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III believe in the impossible. We all need a little something in our lives that is impossible to make our lives that much more exciting. Many people say it is impossible for a man to fly without aid of an invention or a dragon, but it is possible. As long as you believe magic and miracles are possible, because if you don't you better stop reading now, because this a book about both.

Crash. The thunder jolts me out of my dreaming and I hear a young child start to cry in hall somewhere. Sighing I pull the blanket around my shoulders around me tighter as I lean further back into Toothless while another clap of thunder sounds out side. It's just as I close my eyes again do I hear the banging. Someone is banging frantically on the doors of the Meade Hall, my farther stands up from his place sat at one of the benches and I get up to follow him as he cautiously walks over to the doors.

"Let me in! Please!" The heart wrenching pleads of a woman are heard when we get closer, what is she doing out in a storm like this without her husband to protect her?

"Dad open the doors! She'll freeze to death out there!" I yell once I realise he is not opening the doors.

"Son, everyone in the village is here, whoever that is they aren't one of us. It could be a trap." My farther tells me lowly even though the majority of the village are looking at us questioningly as the woman's screams get louder and louder while a crack of lighting is heard. How could my farther be so senseless?

"Dad! What are you talking about! Let her in for Thor's sake!"

"A chief most protect his own Hiccup!" My dad's booming voice echoes around the hall as he yells that, "It could be another one of Alvin's traps. I can't risk the village's safety!"

"Please..." There's a long pause between cries which the thunder happily fills, "I'm with child." I glance at my farther who looks torn between letting the woman in and letting her die out there. My farther is so pigheaded, I can't believe he is even thinking this over and then finally he opens his mouth to speak.

"Spitelout open the doors! Quickly!" The doors are pulled open and two figures are revealed, dad yanks them inside before Spitelout slams the great wooden doors shut. The woman who had been screaming is soaked to the bone her blonde hair plastered to her forehead and her dark brown travellers cloak dripping wet and clinging to her body which; reveals an outline of her rounded stomach. In her one arm she holds a small screaming bundle close to her chest, while the other rests on the child's shoulder that is standing next to her.

The boy from what I can tell has muddy brown hair and is about the age of seven, despite his age though I can see he is ready to defend his mother by the way his fingers wrap around the sword that dangles from his belt.

It was silent in the Meade Hall for a whole thirty seconds as my farther eyes the woman and her young. I don't think I've ever heard the Hall this quite before, even the storm outside seems to have quietened down. It's scary.

And awkward. Eventually the silence is broken by the woman. She curtsies to my farther as best she can in her condition.

"Chief Stoick of Berk I thank you for saving our lives." She says as she straightens looking my farther straight in the eye. Im sure I've heard that voice before. Out of the corner of my eye I see Astrid come to stand next to me her face scrunched up in confusion.

My farther dismisses her thanking and with a wave of his meaty hand he beckons her to follow him to a more reclusive part of the Hall near the fire.

"Hiccup come here, Astrid see what you can do about getting them some dry clothes and something to eat." He orders. We sit down at one of the wooden tables my farther folding his arms on the table. Now that we are closer I can see her more clearly. She is only young about early twenties and she has intelligent blue eyes that are currently scrutinising me. She then smiles faintly. She's probably internally laughing to herself about how the great Stoick the Vast ended up with a one legged scrawny fishbone as a son.

"Now you obviously know who I am, so why don't you tell me about you and what you are doing on my island?" Dad says in a low threatening voice scanning her and her son.

"I am an ex resident of Berk, my husband sent me here with our children to seek refuge as he battles Dagur the Deranged, an enemy we have in common if I'm not mistaken. My husband sent me here as he is also a child of Berk and he knew you would protect me Chief Stoick." She explains in a calm voice while rocking her baby as if she has rehearsed the entire thing. Something about her make a ball of nerves form deep in my stomach.

"So tell me then why did you and your husband leave Berk in the first place." Dad asks leaning across the table further his eyes narrowed.

"Let's not play this game Chief, you and I both know who I am. I am Runa Haddock wife of Dag Haddock the heir of Berk and these are my sons Asger," she motions to the older boy, "and Bryjar Haddock."

Even though the hall had returned to its original noise level that sentence made everyone go silent, again. Everyone was watching my dad and I's reaction.

"Are you trying to tell me my son is alive?" Dad asks through clenched teeth, although it's easy to see he is trying disguise the hope in his eyes. I'm starting to feel a little dizzy as my brain, the only muscle I have, starts to have a mental break down.

"Yes sir, Dag and I survived the Night Fury attack that you thought killed us all those years ago." Runa states her eyes gazing over my shoulder to Toothless, the fear that I expect to see on her face is absent though. I don't have that much time to ponder it though as the room dances around me and I feel myself falling backwards into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 Divine Beauty

**Disclaimer don't own How to Train Your Dragon.**

 **P.S Runa and Dag are like Hiccup and Astird in Httyd 2 and everyone else is his the would be in Defenders of Berk.**

 **Pleas dread and review, follow and favourite**

My eyes slowly flicker open and I squint against the late afternoon sun that is streaming through the open window. All I can remember is Runa turning up and then darkness, but it wasn't like the darkness after the Red Death incident. No this was a darkness that was tormented by cruel twisted voices calling out to me to save him, but I couldn't, I'd been rooted to the spot forced to listen to the voices scream and plead with me to help them. I couldn't move though.

As I slowly become more aware of my surroundings I realise there is a small hand resting on my forehead.

"How are you feeling Hiccup?" Runa asks softly, I turn my head to the right to see that Runa is sat on the edge of my bed in dry clothes with her hand on my forehead. Now I remember why I fainted.

"M'fine." I mumble slowly sitting up and Runa puts her hand behind my back to support me. Judging by the fact that I'm in my own room again and there isn't any lighting or thunder I'm gonna have to go on a limb here, cause I only have three and I can't afford to loose more, that the storm is over.

"You fainted Hiccup, from shock."

"No kidding." I mutter sarcastically, flopping back down onto my bed I try to bury my head under the covers as a headache forms at the base of my skull.

"Don't be sarcastic with me mister." Runa scolds giving me a hard pick in the ribs. Groaning I roll over to glare at her to find my second major shock of the day. Asger is sat crossed legged on the ground and is playing with Toothless.

"Runa can you slap me please?"

"Excuse me?"

"I said can you slap me I'm obviously in some kinda dream, or possibly coma, cause right now nothing is making sense. Your back from the dead, you have two kids, where is the other by the way? And your letting your son play with a NIGHT FURY! I thought you'd be petrified of one!" I yell grabbing at my head as my head aches worsens. I think I'm having a mental breakdown, for once it's not from the twins or Snotlout so bonus there.

"Ok Hiccup first of all you are going to take a nice deep breath and release it, because if you pass out again I will not be explaining it your farther. Secondly, I'm not going to slap you, this is real and thirdly if you give me five minutes to explain everything without either fainting or yelling at me you might actually understand what's going on." Runa says losing her patience a little as she eases me back into the bed, I nod slowly watching her as she fuses around me.

"You hit your head on the table pretty hard when you fainted sorts normal to have a headache." She tells me as she readjusts my fur covering, "It would be wise to rest for the rest of the day, your farther agrees with me. To answer your earlier question Astrid is looking after Bryjar." Astrid is willingly going near a baby. I thought she said they were evil little puke machines. That's when the young boy runs over to us, I think his name was Asger.

"Mum, whose this?" He asks with big curious eyes and I notice they look startling like my own, he must of got them from Dag.

"This is your Uncle Hiccup, your farther's brother." Runa informs him patting on a free space of my bed.

"Hey." I say meekly propping myself up on my elbows.

"I'm Asger, Grandad Stoick said that you are a handful and a trouble maker." Thanks a lot dad even make the kid turn against me.

"Well he's not wrong, but that isn't very nice." Runa attempts to scold while hiding a grin as she wraps her arm around Asger's shoulders.

"Well thanks. Real confidence builder." I retort sarcastically rolling me eyes. I'm going to have to have a talk with dad about what he tells people. "How old are you Aager?"

"I'm seven summers old." He states proudly smiling to his mother who has gone pale. Seven summers ago that's when...

"Asger why don't you go downstairs and try find some clean water for you uncle or Sep,thing for him to drink." Runa interrupts my thought process as she gently push Asger off the bed and gives him a gently shove towards the stairs. I sit up and stare at her.

"Seven summers ago!" I hiss through my teeth narrowing my eyes at her while she in turn places her hand on her rounded belly. "That's when the attack was!"

"I know that very well Hiccup. I was around four months pregnant when the attack happened, only your farther and the healer knew. Your brother was going to tell you that night, but getting mauled over and then carried away by a Night Fury kind of put a dent in his plans if you know what I mean." Runa explains keeping her head down rubbing her pregnant stomach.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean Hiccup?"

"What happened after the Night Fury attack, I mean we all saw it carry you and Dag off, we already thought Dag was dead and dad was sure it was going to slaughter you as well. It didn't obviously, but how did Dag survive his injuries were horrible?" I ask cautiously, if there one thing about Runa I know is that her moods change at the slightest thing and I'm sure it's a lot worse now she pregnant.

"The Night Fury took us back to its cave," she begins in a whisper still not looking at me, "Dag was barely alive, and I was sure it was going to kill me to, it came over to me and shoved me into the corner of its cave while it stood over your brother and then he began to tend to Dag's wounds. When it was done Dag, just as he was losing consciousness, put his hand on it's snout and said thank you. Ever since then the Night Fury looked after us, we called her Sassa, Dag trained her and then learned to fly her. We traveled all around the Archipelago trying to stop people like Dagur the Deranged the rest really is history. It turns out you weren't the only Haddock brother to train a Night Fury, but you are the only one who convinced an entire village full of Viking that they are safe, Hiccup. I'm really proud of you and Dag will be too, just as soon as he gets here." Runa finishes her tale and I climb over into her arms and she kisses my head. Did I forget to mention Runa pretty much took the place of my mother after she was killed.

"I missed you and Dag, it was really hard here on Berk without you two." I tell her as I hear my farther come home slamming the door behind him.

"Look at it as character building. Now I need to go prepare dinner and you better go tell your farther your conscious again before he interrogates Asger, speaking of which afterwards you can go find that sister of mine and get me Bryjar back, Thor knows how many times she will have dropped him.

"You know Astrid's not the best with kids." I reply not moving from the bed as she stands up, "Anyway you said I could

stay in bed for the rest of the day."

"And I also told you when you were seven that when you were older you would be a big strong Viking like your brother. I lie sometimes. Now go see your farther show him your alive and then go get my child." Runa orders before leaving the loft.

"Bit of a low blow!" I call after her, I can see how her and Astrid are sisters.

As I shamble down the stairs after locating my prosthetic leg, which Toothless had, I take in what's happening in the kitchen. Dad is sat on his big chair in front of the fire pit and is showing Asger, who is on his knee, some swords, Runa is in the kitchen making dinner and Gobber, who joins us often for dinner, is sat at the table drinking a tanka of Meade.

"Ah son how nice of ya to join us." Dad booms and all heads swivel to look at me, even Toothless'.

"Grandad was just telling me about all these really cool swords and he showed me one that you made, it's so awesome!" Asger exclaims throwing his arms in the air.

"Finally! Someone who appreciates my work!" I say high fiving Asger as I passed him.

"Maybe I'd appreciate your work more Hiccup if you did more of it!" Gobber snarks before gulping down more Meade.

"I'm coming to the forge tomorrow afternoon after Dragon training Gobber." I inform him even though he's not listening and is busy trying to put his false tooth back into the right place.

"Speaking of Dragon training I think you should let Asger join your class." Dad says even though there is no 'thinking' about it, it's an order, but said in a nice way.

Runa stops what she's doing and turns to look at us, "I don't know if I want Asger on the back of a dragon Stoick."

"Nonsense Runa, you said that you and Dag had already taught him the basic of flying, Hiccup can find him his own dragon anyway. It'll all be fine." Dad waves Runa off with a meaty hand and goes back to Asger. I watch Runa turn back to her work gripping the pan with a lot of force. I'm gonna make a wise decision here and leave before I can count as a witness to murder.

I fly over to Astrid's house on Toothless cause seriously why would I try negotiate a hill on a prosthetic leg after a snow storm? Common sense is a vital trait lacking in all Vikings that think this is weird. When Astrid's mother tells me she's not there though I have to fly to the academy instead.

When I get there the sight is a little disturbing. Astrid is trying to rock a screaming baby Bryjar to sleep, while Ruffnut has her head buried in the ground, Fishlegs is trying to stop Tuffnut from throwing a hammer at the baby's head and Snotlout is curled up in a ball covered in baby spit up and other substances crying is eyes out.

"What in the heck happened here?" I shout leaping off Toothless and running over to take Bryjar from Astrid who instantly settles when he's in my arms causing Astrid to punch me.

"What happened is your brother and Astrid's sister crossed Haddock genes with Hoffereson genes which creates the ultimate devil child!" Tuffnut yells.

"Yeah probably not the best combination...but that doesn't mean you can hit him with a hammer! And someone find Snotlout a clean pair of trousers he peed himself. Again!" I ordered trying to hide my smirk.

"It's not my pee, it's Bryjar's!" Snotlout wails hitting his fists on the floor.

"Cause that makes it so much better doesn't." Astrid remarks rolling her eyes.

"Shut up!"

"I'm leaving!" I declare before the argument can escalate any further, without leaving them time to protest I walk over to Toothless and hop on his back. Making sure Bryjar is safely cradled against my oh so muscular chest I instruct Toothless to head back home. When we arrive back home Runa is just putting the food on the table. Asger runs over to me pulling my arms down to his level so he can see Bryjar.

"Hello Bry." He whispers giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I missed you, I had no one to play with." Bryjar makes an odd gurgling noise and then grabs onto Asger's hand.

"Stoick! No weapons at the table! Hiccup, Asger come sit down your mutton is going cold." Runa orders from her place at the table, she holds her hands out for Byjar and I quickly pass her the baby before sitting down my self.

"Come Runa it's only my axe."

"Doesn't mean it belongs at the dinner table!"

"This is my house and I will have my axe at the dinner table if I want it at the dinner table!" Dad bellows rising to his feet, Runa does the same.

"Stoick don't test me." Runa warned in a low voice her hands gripping the table, her eyes narrowed at him.

"Daddy says we shouldn't argue with mummy while she is with baby because the baby makes her go crazy." Asger tells me as his eyes flicker between the arguing pair, "I think you might need to tell Grandpa to stop now, mummy has her killing face on."

"Stoick, no weapons at the table, don't make me say it again." With that she sits down again and begins to feed Bryjar some broth, all traces of anger gone. Women are weird. Pregnant women are weird and scary. Dad grumbles, but removes his axe from the table before attacking his plate of mutton.

As weird as this would sound this is what used to happen every dinner time, and I've missed it. Runa and dad would have an argument, Runa would always win and then dad would be in a sulk for the rest of the night. I know he has missed arguing with Runa though, everyone in the village has missed Runa and Dag. They were like this golden couple which everyone knew and adored; of course they had their arguments, but they were still just...amazing.

Dag was the brave warrior, however unlike your average Viking he enjoyed using his brain to outsmart his opponents in battle. On the other hand there was Runa, the beautiful, but strong woman of Berk; she was completely selfless and would always go out of her way to help you.

Dag and Runa were, and will always be everything I am not. I don't mind though.

It's late now: Gobber has gone home, Dad is downstairs still either drinking or making new plans on how to defend the village, Runa is putting the boys to bed and I'm sat in my loft drawing Toothless while he sits in a funny pose. That's when I hear Runa singing,

'Eyes open wide,

Blinded by the Suns now,

Orange and White,

Dark green and yellow,

Rainbow colours!

Do not hide, see the view!

Step aside go through!'

Her voice and song made me suddenly have a deep yearning for my childhood memories, as she used to sing this song to me when I was scared little boy. Something inside me snapped.

My sobs were stifled at first as I attempted to hide the grief I had felt for seven years, but then I felt a wave of emotions overcome me; happiness, sadness and anger. I could literally feel my walls collapse as my breakdown started. My body shook with sobs and I had to clasp onto the table to stop myself from falling. At one point Toothless crooned and nuzzled me, but that just made me cry harder as I hugged his head.

I was blinded by tears when the arms wrapped around gently pulling me up, with the help of Toothless, and pulling me towards my bed.

I flopped down onto the bed hugging my stuffed dragon close to my chest when Runa pulled my head onto her lap and started to comb her fingers through my bangs, Toothless crawling onto the bed next to me acting as my own personal heater. Gradually, I begin to calm down until I'm just occasionally hiccuping, however Runa doesn't stop running her hand through me hair. I'm fourteen years old I shouldn't be crying like this. I attempt to push my self away from Runa, but she just holds me in place by putting a firm hand on my back.

"That was silly to get yourself so worked up Hiccup." Runa says softly, I just nod.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine now."

"It's alright to cry Hiccup, your experiencing lots of different emotions right now, so it's ok to cry and it's ok to feel a little scared."

"Nobody else would cry, I, just weak."

"Astrid cried like a baby, Snotlout wouldn't stop hugging me and even your farther shed a tear or two."


End file.
